If you’ve just been in a car accident, you probably aren’t thinking the clearest.
After all, you have injuries, missed work, and lost income to deal with. It can all be overwhelming.
At the same time, you need to take some crucial steps to ensure your safety and protection. The last thing you want is to lose out on filing a claim to cover your injuries. Not only that, but you don’t want to implicate yourself in being at fault for the accident, either. To ensure you know what to do, here are the basic steps to file a claim after a car accident.
Call the Police
Even if your accident is minor and you don’t appear to have any injuries, calling the police right away is an essential step. In some states, it’s a legal requirement. If you intend on filing a claim, you’ll need a police report. That’s why calling 9-1-1 is imperative.
Exchange Information
You’ll need to exchange insurance information with the other driver. Here’s what you’ll both need to include:
- Full name and phone number
- Insurance provider and policy number
- Driver’s license number and license plate number
- Make, model, and color of the vehicle
- Location of the accident
Document the Accident
Next, you’ll need to document the accident so that you can provide an accurate post-accident repair estimate to your insurance company. If you can, complete the following steps:
- Identify the police officers on duty
- Get a copy of the accident report
- Take pictures of the damage and any injuries
- Write down the names of and talk to witnesses
Those are the basic steps to file a claim after a car accident. Once you’ve completed all these steps, you’ll need to contact your insurance provider. They’ll be glad to hear that you’ve followed all these steps, as it will make filing the claim very easy.